Pear Cardamom Maple Whiskey Bundt Cake

Sometimes it’s the small, simple things in life that can inspire the most ambitious projects. Take, for instance, coming upon a beautiful vintage bundt pan in a thrift store. A unique style, full of beautiful twists, turns and curves. Something you could never find anywhere else.

I saw this particular bundt pan a few weeks ago out of the corner of my eye, ran over to it, drooled for a few seconds, but unfortunately couldn’t find a price tag, therefore leaving it behind. I figured if I still thought about it a week or so later, that it was probably one of those purchased I’d come back for. And if it were still there, it was meant to be. You too rationalize purchases based on the amount of time you’ve spent thinking about them, right?

And so it was. Still no price tag, but it was waiting there just for me. I took it up to the counter, the dealer was called to tell us the price 20-odd minutes later, and this gorgeous gem was mine. Later that night I dreamt up this recipe. (More like laid awake in bed a bit dreaming up concoctions I was sure weren’t in existence just yet.)

Introspective ambitions with bundt cakes. Hey, I think I just thought of my first cookbook name! (if I ever get that far). I like it. Pear plus cardamom (a LOT of cardamom) plus a Cabin Fever maple whiskey glaze. YES. Introspective ambitions, indeed.

So yes, now I am on a bundt cake making roll. I love the artisticpansavailable out there, and the possibilities of cake combinations are endless. I’d jot down a few of the ideas I’ve had so far, but if I keep them a secret, they’re more than likely to become a reality more so than just a thought or idea. A way to motivate myself to bake them all, perhaps. Let’s just say I made my second one today and can’t wait to share that recipe too! But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself…

The first attempt of making this was an absolute fail. F-A-I-L. I think I “adapted” my recipe too far out there and it ended up being a big, gloopy gloppy mess. You see, I tried to make it gluten-friendly, and combined the ideas from 3 different recipes, basically. Apparently a big no-no. But here we’ve got it good. After a bit of trial and error with this one, I believe the biggest lesson is to bake longer than expected. Like, really long. I’m not sure if it’s the water content of the pear or what, but both times it seems that the inside dough just wasn’t done enough. But I’m suspecting several reasons for this. It may even be the pan. Yes, that darn cute vintage pan may be the cause of it all. I’m questioning the efficiency of heat conduction with the metal of the pan. Regardless, it’s a delicious recipe and should work just fine with any other (newer) bundt pan of any nature.

Also, if you have not yet heard of Cabin Fever maple flavored whiskey, become familiar. It’s awesome stuff. Luckily I live right behind a liquor store (and those are not always easy to come by in Oregon) that carries it, but I’m still slowly working my way through the first bottle, savoring every last drop. My guy really likes a splash of it in his afternoon coffee, and I must admit, it’s a nice touch. I’m not always a huge fan of whiskey by itself, but pair it with this maple business and it’s heaven. New thought: adding a splash to regular maple syrup before drizzling on waffles or pancakes! I digress…

Alternately add the flour mixture, whiskey and milk to the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Add the flour in three parts and the whiskey and milk in two. Mix until just combined.

Stir in the pears until they are evenly distributed.

Pour batter into pan. Smooth the top and bake for at least 1 hour 20 minutes (may take up to 1 hour and 45 minutes, depending on your pan and oven), rotating halfway through if necessary, until a toothpick or paring knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out with only a few crumbs, no batter. The toothpick or knife will not come out completely clean. The top should also be golden brown and cracking.

Allow to cool 30 minutes in the pan before loosening the sides of the cake and inverting onto a cake plate to cool completely.

To make the Whiskey Glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the sugar and whiskey. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Spoon over entire cake, or over individual servings.

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Comments

Oh lady. You are beyond awesome. Have a got a recipe for you (that can be made in a bunt pan) that was from my great aunt Trudy. She was from Switzerland and was a mad genius when it came to baking (just like you!). I will send it out to you in a care package ASAP. Love, Ty

I am right there with you on the bundt pan thing. I came upon a vintage cast iron bundt pan a few months ago and fell completely in love, but it was to expensive for me to justify spending on a pan so I sadly let it go. Much to my surprise, it showed up at my apartment the next week as a gift from my wonderful man. So nice, that one. Anyway, after baking a couple of cakes in it, I have determined that it was totally worth the price. Cakes bake up beautifully in it. I am so obsessed with it and want to make nothing but bundt cakes all the time now.

This bundt sounds amazing. It has two of my favorite things–cardamom and whiskey! I haven’t tried that maple whiskey, but I definitely will be on the look out for some. Perhaps this will be next on my bundt list! I love it!

Oh my gosh a vintage CAST IRON bundt pan? Wow, I’ve never heard of such a thing. I’ll have to look one up! That’s so sweet of your guy to do that for you!

I just now glanced at your blog and love it! Your photography and recipes are beautiful! And the bundt cake recipe you have up now. Those campfire cream pies! YUM! So glad to have discovered your blog now, thanks for dropping a note! I am going to link you on my sidebar :)

We bought that same whiskey recently because it was on sale and sounded interesting (at the Hollywood liquor store, perhaps the same place you bought it). I didn’t really like the whiskey, and neither did my housemates, but it still all got consumed. Now I wish I still had some so I could make this cake–it looks amazing! Do you think substituting maple syrup and regular whiskey would work? I was thinking maybe a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of whiskey to syrup, does that sound about right to you?

Ha, yes I did buy it at Hollywood Liquor! I live right behind it :) Sorry to hear it didn’t excite you much! But yeah, I’m guessing probably a 3:1 ratio of whiskey to syrup would work just fine. I even considered subbing out the brown sugar entirely and using maple syrup instead, but didn’t have enough of it, plus the stuff gets pricey. So yes! Give it a try! That sounds great, actually.

Made this cake last night. As Tony the Tiger says “they’re grrrrrreat!” Here’s the back story….. While visiting Canada this summer I purchased a bottle of COLLINGWOOD Canadian Whiskey. Collingwood is mellowed in maple (the wood, not the syrup). It’s a great light whiskey with the ever so slight hint of maple. I enjoyed it very much. I went to my local store here in Pa. to restock and they did not carry Collingwood. They did carry Crown Royal Maple so I gave it a try. Upon opening it the entire room was permeated with the small of maple syrup. After the first sip my taste buds were drenched in maple. There was no hinting about maple here. This was punch in the face maple and undrinkable. Feeling fleeced out of $30 and now stuck with a whole bottle of the stuff I thought whiskey cake. A quick google search for “maple whiskey cake” led me to this recipe and I thank you. It’s a great winter cake. I plan on making it again over the holidays for my booze loving family. Cheers!